To Pass the Time
by ElectricEuphonium
Summary: Hiroyuki returns from a year away. Some things have changed. Some have not. Many will be changed in the near future, for good and for worse.
1. August 1st

A sudden change in visibility of the outside alerted Hiroyuki to the fact that he was now in a tunnel. The constant rumbling of the bus was now echoing faintly against the blackness only illuminated by small orange lights. He sighed and rested his head against the window, feeling the coldness from the frozen morning dew and the subsequent condensing that was commonplace for buses. He looked over at the bus driver from his position in the front seat. Even if he was a little older (Well, a year older, in fact) he still wore the same expression as the last time he drove him. He turned his eyes toward Hiroyuki before turning back to the road.

"Y'know, you're one of the only ones who ever comes here in the summer. Most people leave, but you do just the opposite. Why is that?"

Hiroyuki looked to the window for a moment before he moved more to the edge of his seat, grabbing his bag and setting it on the other side of the seat. "Well, this is where I grew up. All of my childhood friends are here, as well as my...significant other."

The bus driver nodded in understanding and looked towards the road again. "Y'know, when I was your age I had a girl and I thought the world of her. Thought we were destined to be married and have some fantastic kids who would grow up to make us proud."

He gave a short laugh. "Young love. Anyway, one day, she comes to me and says that her pops doesn't approve of our relationship and not only is she breaking up with me, but she's had another man for a week now. She walked out with her heels click-clacking and I never saw her since."

"Sorry to hear that."

The driver just waved his hand with a disapproving noise. "I'm happily married and have children now, but it just taught me a little lesson."

At this the driver slowed down a bit and turned to Hiroyuki with a serious look on his face. "If you've got something good that you both know is good, never let anything take it away."

Hiroyuki nodded with a smile. "Oh, I'll be sure of it."

The man turned back to the road, speeding up slightly and in a minute or two, brilliant light flooded in from outside, blinding Hiroyuki for a second before his vision adjusted. He was finally back.

_~in an earlier time~_

"Juuichi! Where are you!?"

Shouting was heard from down the street as Kounosuke looked behind him to see Torahiko running towards him. "Hey, Kouno! Have you seen Juuichi?"

The tanuki shook his head before scratching at it. "Why are you looking for him?"

The normally energetic tiger seemed heavily out of breath as he talked. "He left for a walk about twenty minutes ago, and I don't know where he is, and Hiro's gonna be here in like a half an hour."

Kounosukes ears perked up at that. "Really? I didn't know that! Why was I the least informed?"

Torahiko shrugged before looking out down the street. "I don't know. We told Tatsu-nii to tell you. I assumed that your boyfriend would let you know."

Kounosuke gave a slight blush and turned his head away. "Well, he came on a day where Tatsu-chan had to work. He's going to work until noon, so he'll be back then."

Torahiko nodded. "Well, I've gotta run and find him. We're meeting at Raimon, 10 o'clock! See ya, Kouno! Don't be late!" At that, the tiger took off running again, leaving Kounosuke to continue heading down the sidewalk.

When Torahiko started running again, a strong summers breeze came blowing, sending his ears back and moving pleasantly through his fur, but he didn't slow down to feel it. He ran faster as the road went into a slope, looking up and seeing the mid-morning sun over the trees.

It was shining bright, as it always was.


	2. August 1st, Part 2

Juuichi felt the soft crunching of gravel under his feet as he walked along the road. He passed the rice fields and a sudden burst of nostalgia for last summer rushed through his mind. He reached up and ran a hand through the fur on his head, smiling at the memories of Hiroyuki.

"That's right...he's coming back today," He whispered to himself.

Juuichi was happy.

"...he's coming back today!"

Juuichi was now panicked. He quickly turned in the direction of the station. He absentmindedly wondered why he had gone on a walk around the same time as his boyfriend was coming back. He needed to be the first one to see him. Juuichi began pushing with his legs harder, sending him into a much faster run. A summer breeze whipped through his fur. He was making good progress, he just needed to-_WHAM!_

A large yellow-orange blur quickly showed up at a corner and ran into his side. The bear looked down to see none other than Torahiko flat on his back, looking dazedly into the sky.

"Euuugghh...no, Kyouji, I'm sure Sou doesn't think you have creepy eyes..."

"Tora?" The tiger shook his head around before looking at Juuichi. "Hi, Juuichi, I was looking for Juuichi. Have you seen Juuichi around?"

He was still slightly out of it.

The bear crossed his arms as he observed him.

"...Oh, Juuichi! I've been looking everywhere for you! Hiro's gonna be here soon, so we need to be there and you probably were heading there already so I'm just gonna shut up now."

Juuichi nodded and reached his hand down to Torahiko, pulling him up. "C'mon, Tora. Let's hurry."

They took off running towards towards the station.

_~present time~_

"Alright, then. I'll see you in a month."

The driver gave a firm nod, and then said as if speaking to a child, "Now, don't go forgetting what I told ya."

Hiroyuki smiled. "Of course." The doors closed and he turned to the station. He dropped his bag and looked all around him, then took a deep breath as he looked around before exhaling. It felt good to be back. Now he needed to find everybody...

Wait, where is everybody? Did Kounosuke's tardiness rub off on everyone else? Hiroyuki scanned the station before sighing. He did sort of come unannounced but he told Tora, who probably told everybody else as he had asked. He decided to just wait and sat down at a nearby bench, placing his bag on the ground next to him. He sighed and listened to the ambient sounds of the village. Cicadas continued their constant droning that always seemed to invade his ears in an odd, soothing way. There was the sound of some birds, a nearby small stream, frantic running...

...wait, what? Hiroyuki shot up and turned to see a familiar bear running near the station. He slowed down as he got there and locked eyes with Hiroyuki.

"Juuichi-san..."

Hiroyuki took a few steps toward him. His slightly awed expression soon unfolded into an ear to ear grin.

"Juuichi-san!" Hiroyuki began running toward Juuichi, watching as the bear broke out into a huge grin. He finally reached him and slammed into Juuichi, gripping the bear into a large hug that was instantly returned. He felt the pair of large arms around him tighten.

"I missed you, Juuichi-san...so much..."

Hiroyuki leaned his head forward and buried his face in Juuichi's chest. The bear gave a soft laugh, sending the vibrations to his face.

"So did I...I thought about you every day..." Hiroyuki looked up and saw Juuichi looking down with a blush on his face, though he still wore a smile. They watched each others faces and Hiroyuki said the words on his mind.

"I love you, Juuichi-san."

"I love you too, Hiroyuki." He leaned down to the human and kissed him on the lips, feeling the warmth of his mouth for a moment before pulling back and leaning his mouth to Hiroyuki's ear.

"Welcome back."

Juuichi slowly leaned back up and blushed while looking away. "We should probably head to Raimon..." Hiroyuki smiled and nodded. He held up a finger to Juuichi to signal that he should wait a moment before running over and getting his bag. He ran back over to the bear and nodded once again.

"Now we're good."

And so they set off. Halfway there, they encountered a panting Torahiko running in the opposite direction before he spun on his feet and stopped. They looked back at him and saw the tigers face light up.

"Hiro!" He ran up and gripped him in a big hug, lifting him off of the ground and shaking him around. "We've missed you, man!" He laughed as he finished his sentence, and Hiroyuki did too, falling victim to Torahikos contagious energy. He set him down and put his hands on his hips with a huge grin.

"Juuichi's said a decent amount about you two." He saw Hiroyuki give a questioning glance toward Juuichi. "Oh, don't worry, it's only cause I wouldn't stop bugging him about it. Right, Juuichi?" The bear gave a firm nod.

"It got to the point where I went to school and he'd be waiting right at the front gate to ask me first thing in the morning." He wrapped an arm around Hiroyuki's shoulder and looked at him. "I didn't go into too much detail." Hiroyuki started laughing, making Juuichi blush and look away. "What? What's so funny?"

Hiroyuki wiped a tear out of his eye as he calmed down. "It's just that you're being really physical today, Juuichi-san." He gave a beaming smile. "I like it." Juuichi smiled a little back in return.

"Well, I guess I'll try to keep that up...if I can. Might be a little embarrassing though..."

Hiroyuki thought for a second. "Then, let's start with just holding hands more often, ok?" The bear nodded and grasped Hiroyuki's hand. They turned and saw Torahiko with his fist balled up against his chest.

"You guys are too cute! I'm gonna die, man!" He grinned and pretend fell to the ground, dramatically sprawling out and reaching a hand to the sky. "Tell them...at my funeral...that I was killed by _cuteness_..." Then, he went limp on the ground. The two walked over to the supposedly dead tiger on the ground and Juuichi lightly kicked him.

"Get up, you drama queen."

Torahiko jumped up and grinned at them. "C'mon, guys, let's get to Raimon."

With that, they set off.


	3. August 1st, Part 3

"How long has it been, Senpai?"

Soutarou's head rest on Kyouji's shoulder as they sat waiting for Hiroyuki to arrive. The dog looked down to his boyfriend happily. "Do you mean since we started going out or since Hiroyuki was here?"

The young lion nuzzled up further against him. "I guess both."

He chuckled and said, "Well, we started dating on the night of the festival last year, August 22nd. Hiroyuki hasn't been here since August 31st of last year." The dog's arm went to Soutarou's shoulder, pulling him up even further against him. "Last I found out, he was dating Juuichi."

"Yeah, he told me that before he left. How did those two end up together anyhow? Juuichi-san can be pretty intimidating..."

Kyouji shook his head and smiled to Soutarou. "Hiroyuki must see something in him. They've spent a lot of time together. Love can bloom in odd places. Just look at us, huh?"

Soutarou laughed and nodded his head in agreement. He looked toward the door and passively ran his hand up and down the fur on Kyouji's arm.

In a nearby, slightly dilapidated table, Shin sat on the old leather that always had a familiar smell to it, like the inside of an old car. He ran his hand over a rip in the fabric as he looked across the table to Kouya. The husky had his brow wrinkled in worry as he watched Kounosuke talking excitedly with Shun. "Why don't you tell Shun how you feel, Kouya?"

He jumped a little and his cheeks colored red. "I don't know what you're-"

"Yes, you do." The cat kept his eyes on Kouya. "You are in love with Shun, but because he's a second-year who acts like a 12-Year-Old and has not even basic concepts of sex, you feel like being in a relationship with him would ruin his innocence."

"That's completely wrong!"

"Really? Then why is it that you look longingly towards him when he's not looking? You're always around him, and you're his best friend. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to go out with you, Kouya."

The husky's face completely flushed. "...Alright..." He nodded towards Shin. "Fine, then. At the festival, I'm gonna tell Shun how I feel." The cat allowed a small, accomplished smile to slip out and they both glanced to Shun and Kounosuke.

"Better do it, before Kouno gets him." They both shared a laugh at that. Kouya shook his head and leaned back.

"Nah, I think him and Tatsu-nii are wrapped around each other's fingers."

Shin glanced toward the clock. The hands read 9:45. He sighed and turned back to Kouya. "How did that happen, anyway?" Kouya chuckled at the cat's question.

"You mean Kouno and Tatsu-nii? Heh, pretty cute story behind that one."

_~White Day, This Year~_

"Hey, Kouno, what are you doing out here?"

Kounosuke looked from his seated position under a tree near the schoolhouse to see Tatsuki bounding up to him. He wore a smile and and bounced with every step, carrying a decently sized bag in his hand.

"Ah, nothing. Just sitting here. What about you?" Tatsuki couldn't help but notice the odd and slightly bitter tone of voice he was putting on.

"What happened, Kouno? You don't sound like your normal self."

"It's nothing."

He wasn't going to accept that. He walked over and plopped down next to Kounosuke. The tanuki was staring out across the fields with a distant look in his eye. "Kouno, you know I don't like it when you guys aren't happy. I can tell you aren't. It's odd for you to stay after school so long. Tora even called me up to tell me to come check out what you were doing. Now, c'mon. What's wrong?"

The tanuki sighed, seemingly relenting. He pushed up his glasses as he spoke. "I hate romantic holidays."

"Is that it?!"

"No! Course not...it's..." He leaned his head back against the tree and closed his eyes. "I...didn't get anything for White Day."

"...Wait, not even like, courtesy chocolates?"

"Nope."

"Nothing from a girl or a boy?"

"Nope...even when I gave people some on Valentine's Day, they said, 'Oh, I forgot!' or, 'I ran out, sorry!'"

Tatsuki shook his head. "The nerve of some people! Even I got some courtesy chocolates from my coworkers and I gave them some nice stuff for Valentine's Day."

"I've tried not to let it get to me, but I don't care anymore. I kept thinking, maybe they really did forget?"

Kounosuke fiddled with his camera as he spoke. "But...who does that? I gave them something, they should return the favor. Maybe I'm just a bit insignificant. I'm loud, I draw attention to myself pretty easily, things like that, but...There is a possibility that I'm just kinda...there. That I don't do as much as I think I do. You guys..." His shoulders had visibly slumped by this point and his head was pointed much lower than before. "I annoy you guys a lot, right? I mean, I'm late to everything, I don't contribute that much...Seems to me like there's not much I do to help anybody out, with anything at all."

Tatsuki's eyes widened as he saw tears silently falling down Kounosuke's face. The tanuki touched his hand to his face and seemed surprised himself. He gave a half-hearted laugh and wiped his eyes. "Sorry, this is all just sort of crashing onto me at once. I've never really thought about something like this."

Tatsuki grabbed Kounosuke around the shoulder and pulled him toward himself, then gripped his smaller frame against his chest. The tanuki let out a surprised squeak. "Tatsu-nii?! What are you doing?!"

He squirmed in the dragon's arms, trying to get get free, but Tatsuki gripped tighter.

"I don't want to hear that stuff come out of your mouth again, ya hear me? Everyone of you are important to me, and I'm sure everyone feels the same way about everyone else, including you. We like you. _I_ like you. Cheer up, ok?"

Kounosuke stared up at Tatsuki in awe, then quickly nodded with a grin on his face. "Got it! ...Uh, Tatsu-nii? You can let go now."

"Maybe." He stared at the dragon with widened eyes. Tatsuki looked down with a mischievous, toothy grin. He started to struggle, but stopped after a brief moment.

_...Isn't this kinda nice?_

_...Wait, did I just fall in love with Tatsu-nii?! Normally I would be constantly trying to struggle, but..._

_It's probably just because I didn't get anything today. I felt unwelcome earlier, and now I don't. That's all it is._

Kounosuke believed that while they sat under the tree and shared some of the chocolate Tatsuki had gotten.

After they had held each other and kissed for the first time, he wasn't so sure.

_~Present Time~_

"Well, I certainly can't say that they aren't good together. Kouno's been in such better moods since they started dating."

Kouya nodded and looked at the clock. It now read 9:55. "Alright guys, they're gonna be here soon. Try not to have any stupid stuff happen till then."

A mutter of approval that promised that they wouldn't passed through the group.

A/N : Haven't really made one for this story yet, but I hope that whoever you are, you, the readers, are probably cool.

Just using this to say that future days will probably not be split into parts. (This isn't the last part of August 1st, though.)


	4. August 1st, Final

"C'mon, you guys!" Torahiko shouted as he bounded down the road to Raimon. Juuichi and Hiroyuki walked hand-in-hand down the near-empty street. The human looked in the windows of the stores as they continued on to the store.

"Do you want me to get you something from one of these stores sometime?" Hiroyuki turned to look at the bear who wore a curious look on his face.

"Umm...I...it's not that I don't want something...it's just that I wouldn't want to inconvenience you." He managed to stammer out. Juuichi laughed.

"Don't worry. I can afford it. I've got a job now, remember?"

"Oh, yeah...well, you still have to pay rent and stuff, right? Don't spend too much on anything..."

Torahiko ran back and poked Juuichi in the gut, making him jump and give the tiger an annoyed look. "Don't worry, Hiro. He's getting plenty of money from his nice office job!"

Hiroyuki began to snicker before he saw Juuichi's disapproving look. "Sorry, Juuichi-san. Why couldn't you be a firefighter?"

"Turns out they have enough people. I assumed they wouldn't and that it was just a 'need all the help we can get' sort of thing. Plus..." At this the bear blushed and looked away. "I probably could've kept pushing and got in, but I realized...firefighting can be a dangerous job. I don't intend on going away anytime soon, so I got a safer job."

Hiroyuki had a look of surprise on his face. "You...you did that for...for me?"

"Well...I-I guess...a little..."

"Juuichi-san, do-"

"Oh, crap, we're gonna be late, you guys! We gotta hurry!" Torahiko ran off again, forcing the pair to speed up to catch up with him. Hiroyuki gave a quick glance to Juuichi.

"I'll tell you later, OK?"

He nodded, and they continued their brisk pace.

_~Present Time~_

"Guys, they're here!"

Everyone turned to look at Shun staring out the window. Kouya clapped his hands together as he stood up. "Alright, everyone. Get in formation!"

Outside the door to Raimon, Torahiko, Juuichi, and Hiroyuki finally arrived. The tiger grabbed the handle and slid the door open while leaping to the side as Hiroyuki stepped in.

_"Welcome back, Hiroyuki!"_

Everyone stood in a row inside the restaurant with smiles spread across their faces. Hiroyuki laughed and let a grin spread across his face. "Aw, c'mon you guys..."

Kouya stepped forward with his hands in his pockets. "No, you need to c'mon. We've got the restaurant to ourselves."

He grinned and started to walk back behind the group as he waved everyone over. Hiroyuki started to follow the group before a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned back to see Juuichi smiling down at him.

"Let's go have a good time."

Hiroyuki smiled and grabbed Juuichi's hand, pulling him to the table.

_~Afterwards~_

"Man, I'm gonna explode..."

After a little over a half an hour of feasting and catching up, nine full beastmen (and one full human) all leaned back, and started relaxing and talking amongst themselves. Shun happily wagged his tail and talked with Kouya about his new game, and how amazing the battle animations were compared to the last one. Kyouji and Soutarou sat hand in hand next to Juuichi and Hiroyuki, talking about how they should meet up for a double date sometime while Hiroyuki agreed.

He spent time laughing and smiling, enjoying himself. All the while, not noticing the downtrodden face of the tiger at the other end of the table.

_~On The Way Home~_

Hiroyuki walked along the sidewalk, holding hands with Juuichi while next to Kouya and Shun.

"So, Kouya, it kinda seemed like you were in charge of things back there." Hiroyuki said this has he looked at Kouya.

The husky gave a grin and nodded. "Figured that someone would have to. I got a little help from Juuichi-san. Found out that you probably wouldn't want something radically different from last year. Oh, and by the way..."

The husky turned more towards Hiroyuki and Juuichi, then gave them a wink. "You guys are real cute together."

They both blushed and Hiroyuki thanked him. Kouya and Shun turned off at a corner and headed up the stairs to Kouya's apartment, both of them waving goodbye. Hiroyuki continued walking down the street with Juuichi, headed towards Hiroyuki's grandparents.

"Are you sure about introducing me to your family, Hiro?"

"They're not _all_ of my family, it's just my grandparents. Besides, don't worry. I was a little nervous too, but..." He pulled Juuichi's arm to his chest and hugged it as they continued down the street. "Even if they're a little traditional, I'm sure they'll be fine with it. Living in this town, they should probably be used to guys dating."

The bear put his free palm into his face. "That's not what I mean."

"What do you mean then?"

"...What if they don't like me?"

The human's eyes widened and he looked up to him. "Of course they will. You're too cute to not like."

The bear blushed as he sighed and said, "That's just because you know me. What if they don't like the person you first met? The one with the scary face and the threatening atmosphere?" Juuichi stared off to the fields.

"Hey, Juuichi-san?"

"What?" He said, not looking from the fields.

"We're here."

He sharply turned and saw the small house where Hiroyuki's grandparents lived.

"I just remembered, I've got to go...wash my bike. See ya!" Juuichi started to turn and walk away before Hiroyuki strengthened his grip on the arm in his grasp.

He stared at Hiroyuki dumbfounded. "You prepared for this?"

A nod.

He sighed and put his other hand up in defeat, letting Hiroyuki lead him into the Nishimura residence.

_~Later~_

So, in short, Juucihi-san is my boyfriend and I hope you'll be ok with that."

The Nishimura pair stared on in silence. Juuichi's stomach was in knots. He felt like everything was going to fall apart at the seams and Hiroyuki's grandparents were going to kick him out, and it would all be because of him.

_That's right, it's gonna be all my fault and he's never going to forgive me...having your family hate you would probably be an awful thing..._

Instead, he found that Hiroyuki's grandparents began to smile. The woman laughed and shook her head at the tense bear. "Of course we're perfectly fine with you. You're a very respectful young man, Mikazuki-kun. I'm sure you'll be good to Hiroyuki. Welcome to the family."

"Grandma! We're not at that point yet...!"

They all laughed, and Juuichi couldn't recall a day where he had been this happy.

A/N: Sorry this took so long to get out. I'll try to work on that, but no promises.


End file.
